Former Penn State football class of 2026 four-star running back commit Messiah Mickens has flipped to Virginia Tech, 247Sports’ Kolby Crawford announced on Tuesday. He decommitted from Penn State on November 19.

Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Mickens is the No. 209 player in the nation, No. 14 running back, and No. 8 player in Pennsylvania. The Harrisburg native stands at 5’10” and 200 pounds.

The running back was Penn State’s first recruit in the class of 2026, committing in August 2023. Before James Franklin was fired, Mickens had fully closed his recruiting process and remained locked in when Kemon Spell, the No. 1 running back in the class of 2027, committed to the Nittany Lions.

Before committing to Penn State, Mickens had interest from schools like Alabama, Oklahoma, and Baylor.

After reopening his recruitment on October 14, the running back took multiple visits, including to Ole Miss. While his final three came down to the Rebels, Indiana, and Oklahoma, Franklin’s hiring at Virginia Tech changed everything.

Mickens took an official visit to Virginia Tech’s week 13 matchup against Miami, and Franklin made quick work of the former Penn State pledge to land his commitment.